Layton Tendencies

by Greg Felton / August 14th, 2010

Hello—I’m Lance Boyle, and I’ll be your host for Modern Classics, a new movie feature coming soon to WTFN. We’ll show you classic works of literature and film that have been adapted, sometimes very freely, to bring to life our political reality.

Here’s a sneak peek at a Canadian adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s 1604 masterpiece The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. The story has been played and re-interpreted by other masters over the centuries—Mann, Goethe, Gounod—but its central theme has remained unchanged: a bored, frustrated but otherwise bright man sells his soul to gratify his ambitions. Here are a few scenes from “Layton Tendencies”.

The following sketch concerns Jack Layton, the leader of Canada’s “third” political party, the New Democrats, which represents the sole theoretically plausible alternative to the neo-con/Zionist dogma of Stephen Harper’s government or Michael Ignatieff’s Liberal Party. Unlike the other two party leaders, Layton has managed to nurture the image of integrity.

(SCENE I: Jack Layton, leader of the federal New Democratic Party, is alone in his Ottawa office working late on a Parliamentary speech, when he suddenly stops, pen in hand, and stares blankly at the clutter of books and paper on his desk. The pen falls carelessly from his hand and he petulantly pushes his chair back from the desk.)

Jack Layton: “What’s the bloody point! Here I am, perfecting a speech against Stephen Harper’s new Harmonized Sales Tax, but what good will it do me? This government of despotic corporate kiss-asses still stands at 31 percent in the polls. Sure, that’s a 6 percent drop since the 2008 election, but it’s absurdly high for a government that systematically abuses Parliament, buggers the civil service, colludes in the torture of Afghan detainees, muzzles scientists who know the truth about climate change, and is now proceeding to sabotage the national census.“Of course, the palace press is largely to blame. It does its best to ensure that this most treasonous of all prime ministers suffers as little fallout as possible. But the Canadian people… they aren’t stupid, or are they? (stands up and begins pacing in an animated fashion.)

“Where are the disaffected voters going? To the Liberal Party? It’s mired at 26 percent, just where it was in 2008, thanks largely to Michael Ignatieff’s ineffectual, vacillating ‘leadership.’ I should be thrilled, right? I have a higher approval rating than any other national party leader. I lead the only significant national party that speaks for working Canadians and doesn’t have a broken moral compass. If any party should be on its way to forming a government it should be my New Democratic Party, right?

“Let’s see: in 2008 the NDP stood at 18.2 percent; on July 14, Ekos Research put us at…18 percent! With all that my party and I have to offer, voters still think they have to choose between Tweedledum and Tweedleinsane. Either that, or they waste their vote on the Green Party! What is it—my breath?!

“After 7 1/2 years of leading a third-place party to perpetual mediocrity I want more. I deserve more. What will it take for me to become prime minister!? Obviously, I can’t rely on the electorate to vote intelligently. (shouts to the darkness) I…will…do…anything!”

Voice: (from behind Layton) “You don’t say!” (Layton whirls around in a nanosecond and betrays a look of utter shock and panic. He is standing not three feet from the intruder and starts backing away.)

Layton: “Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?”

Voice: (calm and inviting) “Hell, indeed! I am Mephistopheles. My master heard your lament and sent me to help you.”

Layton: “Sent from where?”

Mephistopheles: “Why, hell, of course.”

Layton: “There’s no such place as hell. Where…did…you…come from?”

Mephistopheles: “All right, I happened to be in Ottawa just now, but that’s only because I have to make regular visits. You‘d be surprised how many politicians share your frustrations and call upon me to help them realize their ambitions.”

Layton: “How did you get into this office?”

Mephistopheles: “You invited me, when you said you would do anything to be prime minister.”

Layton: (flustered and perplexed)“Just who, or what, are you?”

Mephistopheles: “I am just a messenger sent by a very powerful master who is willing to help you fulfill your deepest political desires for as long as you hold your party’s leadership.”

Layton: “What do you take me for?”

Mephistopheles: “A man who distrusts his own senses, and is afraid to do what is necessary. Do you want to be prime minister or not?”

Layton: “Of course I do, but I fail to see what you or your master can do about it.”

Mephistopheles: “You’re right about your failing eyesight, if nothing else. My master is all powerful and is the only one who can ease your path to the prime minister’s residence, provided that you give him something in return.”

The Last Temptation of Jack Layton

Jack Layton signs over his soul to Mephistopheles in hopes of becoming prime minister.

Layton: “What would that be?”

Mephistopheles: “Your political soul.”

Layton: “I don’t believe in such nonsense. If your master is as politically powerful as you say he is, then this is a no-lose proposition.”

Mephistopheles: “You’re sure?”

Layton: “Of course, I’m sure!”

Mephistopheles: “You understand that once you agree to terms, there is no going back? Many who have made this bargain have tried to back out, claiming they didn’t understand the true moral cost. That’s also why I have to make frequent trips to Ottawa—to remind politicians that their careers now depend on the pleasure of my master.

You wondered a little while ago about the ‘inexplicable’ standing of the government and the Liberals? Harper and Ignatieff and their respective parties still have a pulse because they have enlisted the services of my master. You may remember a few years back when Ignatieff nearly ended up a political corpse after failing to show sufficient respect to my master.”

Layton: “Yes, I remember, but I fail to see what that has to do with me.” (Mephistopheles produces a ledger in which are written the names of numerous politicians. He hands it to Layton, who takes it to his desk to sign. Mephistopheles stands next to him and hands him a very ornate pen.)

Mephistopheles: “Just sign here. (points to the page on which Layton’s contract is written.) The particulars of your agreement are spelled out below. Any questions?” (Layton says nothing and signs his name. Mephistopheles takes the ledger.) My master thanks you. (Layton lifts his head up to say something to Mephistopheles, but discovers that he is again alone.)

*****

(SCENE II: The NDP caucus room. The air is agitated as party MPs seek Layton’s leadership on a sensitive matter concerning Vancouver-East MP. Libby Davies, the party’s House leader.)

First MP: “Jack, we’ve got to stand behind Libby! She has been smeared and libeled in the Ottawa Citizen and other right-wing rags, to say nothing of the Internet, just for saying something uncomfortably true about Israel.”

Second MP: “Apology?! For what—telling the truth? Here is a priceless opportunity for you to show leadership and distance yourself from the other two parties, but instead you leave her twisting in the wind!”

Layton: “The NDP has always supported Israel’s right to exist.”

Second MP: “What does that cliché have to do with anything?”

Layton: “When Libby said Israel’s occupation dated to 1948, she implicitly denied Israel’s right to exist. That is not NDP party policy.”

Second MP: “But she’s right! More than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced between November 1947 and December 1948, and the Partition Plan was never ratified. So how Israel came into existence is very much a legitimate subject of debate.”

Layton: “I will not take sides. I have already stated what has been long-standing party policy.”

Third MP: “Is it also ‘party policy’ to support gross human rights violations?!”

Layton: “Hold on…”

Third MP: “No, you hold on: You have said nothing, absolutely nothing, about Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza, which many Western commentators liken to an outdoor prison. When was the last time you defended the flotilla of aid ships bringing food, medicine and building materials to Gaza? When did you last condemn Israel for its deliberate murder of 9 unarmed civilians on those ships? I’ll tell you—never! But let one of your MPs utter a controversial truth about Israel, and all of a sudden you find something to say.”

Layton: “I have consistently steered a middle ground between Israel and Palestine. I don’t know where you get off making these accusations, but I would be careful if I were you.” (points a finger at the MP in question.)

First MP: (to Third MP) “Never mind what Jack has or hasn’t said. We can save that for another time. Right now, one of our own is under a vicious media disinformation campaign and we need to help her. (to Layton) What are you afraid of, Jack? The Israel Lobby? They don’t support us much anyway. We speak for Canadians, not foreign interests, like two other parties I could name. If we do nothing, if we do not vigorously denounce this attack, if we do not stand by Libby’s statements then we have no right being here. We might as well call ourselves the ‘Liberal-lite party’ and stop pretending we have any principles.”

Layton: “That’s enough! As I said, I accepted Libby’s apology for mispeaking herself and I apologized to the Israeli ambassador on behalf of the party. That’s the end of it!” (Gasps and murmuring)

Third MP: “Why the hell would you do that? Since when does the NDP apologize to the agent of an aggressor state for the honest comments of one of its own MPs! Tell us, Jack, do you serve Israel or Canada?”

Layton: “This meeting is over, and you (pointing to the Third MP) have just lost your shadow cabinet position!” (Layton walks very deliberately out of the meeting room, leaving behind a confused and dispirited caucus.)

*****

(SCENE III: Layton’s office later that same day. He is again at his desk. Mephistopheles materializes behind his left shoulder.)

Mephistopheles: “Tough day?”

Layton: (whips around, startled with his heart racing ) “Don’t do that!” (catches his breath) “Yes, a tough day. Although I didn’t fire Libby as many demanded, I feel I let her and my party down. Most of my caucus is furious with me and think I’ve betrayed Libby Davies and the party.”

Mephistopheles: “They’re right, but so what? Can they control the media? Can they control campaign money? No, you did the right thing, though you should have gone further. (pause) You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?”

Layton: “No, no,… It’s just that… although I remember speaking, I felt as though some other power was putting words in my mouth.

Mephistopheles: “That was your master. You work for him now. Gradually, he will become more assertive, so your service to him will seem natural. You won’t even notice. Just look at Harper and Ignatieff. They’re ‘Stepford politicians’: do you think either of them cares what their party or the Canadian public thinks when he supports Israel or remains conspicuously silent when Israel conducts strategic murder? They serve the real political power in this country, even if you don’t, yet.

You will come to realize that Parliamentary democracy is just a game that powerful interests use to delude people into thinking they have a say in how they are governed, when, in fact. they have no say at all. Pandering to the public’s vanity and inflated sense of importance is the essence of government.

Now as you know, Israel has stripped Arab MKs of their immunity, is continuing to prevent aid ships from reaching Gaza, and has recommenced ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem. You know what your party’s official position on this is, don’t you?”

Layton: “Yes… I know.” …

*****

Lance Boyle: “Well, that’s a taste of what you can expect on Modern Classics.” Did you recognize Benjamin Netanyahu as Mephistopheles? Stay tuned now for our regular feature, Zombieland.” (fade out)

31 comments on this article so far ...

In introducing NDP MP Libby Davies at a recent fundraiser for the Vancouver Food Bank at The Center for Performing Arts (she had graciously agreed to present my wife with an award) I said: ‘Libby Davies is without peer in contemporary Canadian politics and has very few in the history of Canadian politics.’ She is a fearless speaker of truth, and a tireless fighter for what is right. Libby Davies is a rare Canadian treasure. And she’s nice too!

I think Obama had the potential to do good, but he does not preside over an independent country. Capitol Hill, as has been famously remarked, is Israeli occupied territory. To expect Obama to behave like a rational actor is delusional.

Because of the zionized state of Congress Obama would be too easy a target, and so the satire would seem like piling on; it wouldn’t work. Still, if you know of a troupe that would be prepared to put it on, let me know.

No, Obama is right wing scum all on his own; he is not somehow “controlled” by israel into committing murder and spreading poverty; he does because of what is inside him, because he wants, because he chooses despite being free to do otherwise; he should be prosecuted.

{I think Obama had the potential to do good, but he does not preside over an independent country.}

This is a CLEVER way to exonerate a war criminal like OBAMA. Obama knew why he has been chosen by the Zionist lobby to be sited at the WH. The Zionists who have occupied Congress, senate, WH, intelligence and foreign policy of the United States needed a ‘black man’ to change the image of the empire to do the dirty work to save the empire, with a white face, to wage a war against Iran.
Obam has accepted his ‘duty’ and is working at it to maintain his petty position at the WH. Why are you trying to paint him differently? If American politicians were not as puppet of the Zionist as they are, they never would have adopted Israel’s interest as American’s interest, thus, an anti Iran policy would have not been US priority. However, Obama was brought to power by the Zionists to serve Israel’s interest and he knows it. His policy on Iran shows very well that he is following the instructions of the Jewish Lobby one by one. The lobby wants a war not solution. As a result the fifth column, Dennis Ross, is chosen as advisor on Iran who knows sh*t about the subject, but he is trusted by the organized zionist Jews. Obama instructed to begin with a different style but follow Bush’s policy, ‘regime change’ to partition Iran like Iraq to create Kurdish terrorists as pawns for Israel’s interest in the region. He is following that order closely.
Obama has given many concessions to the ‘enemy’ Russia and China, on Israel lobby’s advice, to bring these countries on board to implement the sanctions against Iran. Obama, recently, instructed to offer a deceitful ‘talk’ to paint Iran as ‘not serious’ to help his war campaign against Iran. This kind of policy in other countries would have been viewed as TREASON. The Iranian speaker came out strong on Obama, a zionist puppet, and exposed his off to ‘talk’.
Iran’s parliament (Majlis) speaker blasted a recent US call for talks with Iran on Afghanistan as “unacceptable” and deceitful.
Speaking at the first public session of the Majlis after a two-week summer break, Ali Larijani insisted that the fake US claim of interest in talks with Iran, following their tireless efforts to push through an anti-Iran sanctions resolution at the UN, amounts to yet another scandal for the Americans, Iran’s Mehr news agency reports Sunday.
“You have committed crimes in Afghanistan,” said Larijani of the US, expressing fierce opposition to what he described as “US and NATO aggression in Afghanistan, oppressing the Afghan people.”
“We don’t share a common path to negotiate with you,” he emphasized.
The Speaker went on to commend a recent initiative by Iran’s Majlis to pass a bill requiring the government to adopt retaliatory measures against countries participating in the US-backed sanctions against Iran.
The US should know, he said, that the Majlis will closely monitor their behavior, so they should not assume that by using a different tone they can “fade the extent of their betrayal against the Iranian nation.”
In early August, US President Barack Obama proposed to hold talks with Iran on Afghanistan, claiming that since the two countries have “mutual interest” in fighting the Taliban, “Iran should be a part of that (the talks) and could be a constructive partner.”

Jeez! I said Obama had the POTENTIAL to do good; not that he DID do good.

Obama has as much power as a eunuch in a harem. To vilify him might make you feel better, but to do so presupposes he is actually capable of making informed, rational decisions and taking responsibility for them.

For example. Obama tried, albeit weakly, to stop Israel’s creeping colonization, but like all Israeli governors in Washingtelaviv, be was reproved by his masters. I do not think the belligerent rhetoric coming from the White House toward Iran (for example) comes from Obama; he’s just a mouthpiece for the REAL war criminals in Congress who serve a foreign government.

I don’t disagree that he is a war criminal, Nobel Peace Prize (chortle!) notwithstanding, but it might be more useful to stop treating the U.S. as an independent country and start treating the the White House occupant as a resident traitor.

Obama: Not being blessed with ESP, I’m not prepared to argue Obama’s private motivations or personal pschology one way or the other. However the record of his ascent to power and relative affluence is abundantly clear.

If you look at what he did, and who supported him, it’s unmistakable that he’s been a protege of Zionist interests since his attendance at Columbia University.

Obama is most decidedly NOT an African American. His early cultural environment was a blend of WASP and Asian, mainly Indonesian of the type that returned to Indonesia when Suharto took over.

Nothing in his record indicates that he has any concern for US Blacks whatsoever, except as they could be manipulated as pawns in his strategy for self-advancement as a top-level house-servant of Zionist billionaires.

hmm. could we be splitting hairs here? I agree that once installed in office, “President” Obama has no choice but to follow orders. Unless he wants to wind up like JFK/RFK/MLKjr or Nixon.

But he did apply for the job. That much he can be held responsible for.

The notion that he once had “potential” to do good is pure speculation, not supported by any documented facts.

Having spent more time than common sense would have allowed hanging around the fringes of Black “radical” politics, it was easy to spot Obama when he first started cropping up on MSM TV: a complete A-hole, a perfect exemplar of the Soldout Unca Tom tradition.

Yes, the US is an independent country, and it’s leaders and people need to be held accountable for their actions. Puffed up right wing nationalists and deluded democrats need to take a strong look in the mirror before they blame everything obama does on israel or the republicans. Israel is a small client country with no interest in most of what the US government does. Obama is right wing scum all on his own, in a very american, non-israeli way.

Right wing antizionist christian nationalists think they are free to parade their self-righteous excuses for the native rich and powerful because they can shield themselves behind zionist conspiracy theories; I’m sure the judge at the hague will buy that.

“Obama has as much power as a eunuch in a harem. To vilify him might make you feel better, but to do so presupposes he is actually capable of making informed, rational decisions and taking responsibility for them.”

The blair in blackface never wanted to “do good”, so the fact he is a figurehead unable to do so is a moot point. That’s like saying a mafia lawyer could be a good person, if only the mafia don gave him more power.

Somebody in obama’s position could do a lot of good, if they wanted to, but not obama, he never wanted to.

“Puffed up right wing nationalists and deluded democrats need to take a strong look in the mirror before they blame everything obama does on israel or the republicans.”

“Right wing antizionist christian nationalists think they are free to parade their self-righteous excuses for the native rich and powerful because they can shield themselves behind zionist conspiracy theories; I’m sure the judge at the hague will buy that.”

You zionist “computer warriors” are constantly lamenting the fact that people are not buying your propaganda like they used, lich, and you cant seem to ever understand why. You lot remind me of the israeli propaganda surrounding their criminal attack on the Gaza convoy.

hayate: “You zionist “computer warriors” are constantly lamenting the fact that people are not buying your propaganda like they used, lich, and you cant seem to ever understand why. You lot remind me of the israeli propaganda surrounding their criminal attack on the Gaza convoy.”

I’ve been reading linchen for some time. Nothing I’ve read to date comports with this nonsense. As usual hayate missed the POINT.

Yeah, because staunch marxist and antizionist ideologues are such cuddly, broad-minded people, naturally the only ones who could disagree with them and their attitudes are “capitalists” or “zionists.” I can assure you that most people on the flotilla did not subscribe to the sort of reductionist ‘world jewry power structure’ peddled by a few here.

It isn’t worse to accidentally misspell someone’s name than knowingly mistake their gender.

Sorry, Lichen, but you are incorrect. The U.S. is NOT an independent country. You are repeating the discredited Chomskyite line that the U.S. is the dominant player in its relationship with Israel. There is no evidence for this argument. My book “The Host and the Parasite—How Israel’s Fifth Column Consumed America” is an intricate refutation of this point of view. It is inconceivable that the U.S. could be in charge give how freely Israel humilates the U.S., deliberately embarrasses its leaders, ignores U.S. demands, and as in the case of Netanyahu, openly boasted that he lied to the U.S. during the Oslo “negotiations” and calls the high U.S. support for Israel “absurd.”
You should read my last chapter.

You also discredit yourself by hiding behind the sterile epithet “zionist conspiracy theories” to denigrate your opponents. This is sign of cognitive denial, not intelligent argument—both of which depict zionists.

The comments about Obama and his loyalty merely demonstrate my point that zionist money and influence run the U.S. Given a choice between Obama and Insane McCain, the U.S. had no choice at all. Teafo2 has it right, I think, when he says that any attempt to act like a president would have meant certain death.

Rereading “hayate said on August 15th, 2010 at 5:38pm” I realised that post came out more aggressive sounding than I intended. I meant it as more of a statement of my views of obama, rather than a disagreement with your post, but I used your post as a jumping off point. I should have worded it better. Sorry about that.

Even Rami Khouri from “the Daily Star” is horrified by the degree the United States policy is controlled by Israel through its fifth column, the organized zionist Jews. In “Will Washington Ever Connect the dots? writes:

Here are four dots that thoughtful Americans should ponder carefully, while they connect them to learn why the US in much of the world has become the beacon of democracy and freedom at home, but also dishonesty abroad. These are three moves in the Congress (mainly the House of Representatives) to support an Israeli military attack against Iran, to suspend and review American military assistance to Lebanon for fear that US weapons might be used to fight Israel, and, to review financial support for the United Nations agency UNRWA, which provides basic health, food and education needs for Palestinian refugees, because of alleged anti-Israeli actions among UNRWA staff or facilities.

The fourth dot is the annual public opinion poll of four Arab countries released last week by the University of Maryland (conducted by Shibley Telhami) and Zogby International, showing that Arab views of President Barack Obama and the United States have plunged sharply in the past year. This year only 16 percent of Arabs are hopeful about US policy in the Middle East – compared to a healthy 51 percent just a year ago. More significantly, a whopping 61 percent of Arabs polled said that US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the most important reason for their disappointment with Washington. Arab support for Iran’s nuclear rights is massive and keeps increasing, while Arabs regard the US and Israel as their principal threat.
The three dynamics in the House of Representatives reflect the core problem with American foreign policy in the Middle East as seen through Arab eyes: Washington’s severe tilt toward pro-Israel positions is so intense that it wipes out prospects for the US to be a truly impartial mediator in peace negotiations, and hurts many other American interests in the region.
In domestic American political terms, the point is that any public discussion of Arab-Israeli or other Middle Eastern issues must be framed squarely, repeatedly, and solely through the lens of what right-wing Israelis and other Zionists feel is in their interest. Everything else – Arab rights, American strategic interests, the vulnerability of young American troops in the region, the stability of Arab regimes – is secondary.
So the message from political America is that Israeli sensitivities, security and, in some instances, colonization policies, are the criteria by which all American actions in the Middle East are measured. American foreign policy thus becomes a proxy for Zionist fears and Israeli militarism. So Arabs get US military aid but cannot use it to defend themselves against Israeli threats or aggression. UN agencies that provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians should be emasculated in order for the Palestinian refugee issue to melt away. All support should be provided to Israel to attack Iran. If any American politician resists these rules, they either quickly conform or are booted out of office.

SHAME ON AMERICANS who are silent and support the war criminals with their tax $$$$. As long as the zionists and their stooges, black and white have not been overthrown, no one will experience PEACE.

It’s Time for a Declaration of Independence From Israel,” but Obama is not the one to lead Americans out of bondage.

No one politician is going to “lead” America out of the bondage of Zionism especially since the Left (the so-called opposition) is so badly corrupted by it. We cannot look to politicians nor the so-called “celebrities” (more like gatekeepers) to lead America out of this situation.

For now the only way I can think of getting out of this morass is through greater awareness.

Quite true deadbeat, but then all the awareness in the world is useless unless you can channel that awareness to effect meaningful reform. The U.S. will have to undergo armed insurrection, I’m sorry to say, because the zionist parasite has so thoroughly corrupted the U.S. that there is nothing left to save. As I argue in my book the U.S. no longer exists.

> his strategy for self-advancement as a top-level house-servant of Zionist billionaires.

I have to disagree with that evaluation of Obama. While it’s true that I didn’t cast a vote for him (nor for any Democrat or Republican candidate at any time in my life), but I don’t see it as likely that Obama is going to make any attack on Iran. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong tomorrow when it suddenly is announced that US bombers have attacked Tehran. But until that happens I’m keeping to my guess that Obama has simply been throwing smoke and mirrors up to keep the Israel lobby busy, without any intent of attacking Iran. That’s been my impression so far.

Lichen:
Your constant repetition of an unsubstantiated claim does not an argument make. You betray the insulting, non-cognitive mentality of a zionist who denigrates arguments he cannot or will not understand.

Patrick I’m amazed at how a person as bright and knowledgeable as you obviously are can continue to defend a rose-colored view of Obama.

BHO is a nobody, a nothing with a high IQ, who was plucked out of obscurity by the Zionists planning to take even closer control of US colonial and military policy. He is not a figure of strength, but a relatively weak individual who is very sharp and skilled at knowing which way the wind is blowing. He has that “quarterback’s sixth sense” which lets him know where the main pressure is coming from.

If the Rockefeller/Bilderberg/CFR faction was to make a comeback and oust the Ziocons from their top spot on the Armed Force and Chutzpah totem pole, Obama would hasten to accomodate himself to the new setup. He’s too smart to internalize any ideology but What’s Good For Obama.

Certain tiny straws in the wind begin to indicate that an eventual WASP comeback is just barely conceivable. But before any scenario that farfetched comes to pass, BHO will be long gone from the Center Ring of the circus.

Although the digression about Obama was somewhat interesting, it overshadowed the point of my column, which is how even a centre-left party can kowtow to the The Lobby, even at the expense of one of its own MPs.

“I’m not match for your vapid imperialism, so I won’t bother with your articles in the future.”

These pathetic passive-aggressive displays are a trademark of “female” sayanin/hasbarats. They also don’t do anything but disgust people with you. You need to upgrade. Your approach is killing support for zionism/israel.